Hi:  One of our large commercial beekeepers has used Queen push-in cages
for decades.  I use them in our research hives, particulary when
re-queening colonies in mid-summer (we don't like to sustain the two week
to get a new queen, several days for her to start laying, approximately
three week brood break, so we re-queen colonies that have lost their
queens - which seems to be more common in mite infested colonies).
 
Getting the queen out of the shipping cage and into the push-in cage can
be troublesome.  One year, I was demonstrating the technique and one
queen helped by racing out of the shipping cage and flying off over my
shoulder, never to be seen again.
 
The Montana Commercial Beekeeper used the following trick to transfer the
queen.  He carried a clear, squat, water glass (like restaurants often
use for ice water).  The glass should be slightly taller than the cage in
which the queen is shipped.  Fill the glass with warm (tepid) water.  To
tranfer the queen, he would ease back the staples holding the screen,
then submerge the cage with the queen in it into the water.  Having
"dunked" the queen, he would flip the screen open, and tip the queen out
onto the comb, then press in the "push-in" cage.
 
The idea was that momentarily submerging the queen in warm water somewhat
disoriented her and wet her wings, making it difficult for her to fly.
 
When dipping the queen, use a smooth, gentle dip, just in and out.  Don't
plunge the cage in and yank it out (banging the queen about).  Likewise,
don't leave her under water any longer than it takes to get her wet (you
don't want to drown her).
 
Bob Talcott used this technique to re-queen his operation of 1200 - 1500
colonies.
 
Cheers
 
Jerry Bromenshenk
The University of Montana
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